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Project implementation under CEF2

For all German beneficiaries, we have compiled here information and recommendations for the implementation of CEF2 funding.

Member States' participation under CEF2 consists of issuing the "Letter of Support" for the respective application (see Application) and taking note of the Periodic Report and the Final Periodic Report.

If your project has been awarded a grant as a result of a call, you will be asked during the negotiation of the Grant Agreement (GA) to decide, and to indicate accordingly in the Grant Agreement, in which of the following two ways the Member State (in this case the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport) should receive information on the implementation of your CEF project: either by mail as "Member State's contact point" or by granting access rights on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Please contact us by mail at ref-g32@bmdv.bund.de. We will name the responsible contact point.

Work Packages / Milestones / Deliverables

The Grant Agreement defines Work Packages which consist of individual tasks. Each Work Package must be clearly distinguishable from the other Work Packages, technically and financially.

Milestones are control markers to measure progress during a project’s lifetime. They are updated on the Funding & Tenders Portal on the agreed dates and supporting documents must be provided.

Deliverables are the technical results achieved within one Work Package. Evidence of the deliverables is submitted to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) directly via the Funding & Tenders Portal on the agreed date.

Please make sure that the individual milestones and deliverables can easily be verified, especially in electronic form.

Eligible costs

Eligible costs are governed by Article 6 of the respective Grant Agreement. They must, inter alia, have actually been arisen, incurred in the project funding period and be indicated in the approved estimated project budget of the action. Please also note that costs must be divided into different cost categories and that there are special rules for personnel costs (section 6.2 GA).

Reports

In general, all reports that have to be presented according to the Grant Agreement, are submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Progress Report (Technical Progress Report without Payment Request)

The progress report outlines the current implementation status of the relevant project. It has to be submitted as a deliverable after every 12 months (Art. 21.1. GA) unless a periodic report is already due. At the latest when submitting the report to CINEA by uploading and transmitting it to the Funding &Tenders Portal, all due deliverables and milestones must be fulfilled and proven (see section "Work Packages"). Otherwise, a new planning date within the overall lifetime and a justification for the change must be submitted to the portal. If the new planning dates are not within the overall duration of the project, CINEA must be informed (see "Amendment").

Periodic Report (Technical Progress Report with Interim Payment Request)

The Periodic Report is a progress report in connection with an interim payment request (Art. 21.2 GA). It must generally be submitted within 60 days after the end of a reporting period (usually every 24 months). In this context, it should be kept in mind that, in most cases, the interim payment request must be submitted together with a Certificate on Financial Statement (CFS) valid under CEF2 regulations (Art. 24.2 GA).

Final Periodic Report (Final Technical Report with Final Payment Request)

The Final Periodic Report is the Periodic Report (Art. 21.2 GA). It must generally be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal within 60 days of the end of the project period. This means that a technical report on the achievement of the project's objectives and a request for final payment is usually also submitted together with a Certificate on Financial Statement (CFS). Any evidence of deliverables and, if applicable, milestones not submitted by that time must be submitted with the Final Periodic Report at the latest. Certification of completion of the project by the Member State is not required.

Amendment (of the Grant Agreement)

If there are foreseeable changes in the project, you should contact CINEA as early as possible. At the same time, if already possible at the time, you should indicate any necessary changes to the Grant Agreement in the Progress Report or Periodic Report. A request for amendment must be submitted directly through the Funding & Tenders Portal after prior consultation with CINEA's Project Management.

Publicity

You are obliged to indicate that the action has received EU funding in all publications (site signs, permanent reminder boards, leaflets, websites, invitations, etc.) including social media activities (Art. II 7 GA). Click here for further information by CINEA and appropriate logos.

If provided for by the terms of the call, a detailed communication and dissemination plan must also be submitted to CINEA (Art.17 GA).

Project implementation under CEF1

For all German beneficiaries, we have compiled here information and recommendations for the implementation of CEF1 funding.

Activities and milestones

The Grant Agreement (GA) between you and CINEA stipulates activities and milestones that are to be implemented by an agreed date and for which proof is to be furnished.

Eligible costs

All expenditure that conforms to the rules of your Grant Agreement (Art. II.19.1) is eligible for funding. It must, inter alia, have actually been made, have been incurred in the project funding period and be indicated in the approved estimated project budget of the action. Please note that special rules (Art. II.19.2 GA) apply to the settlement of personnel costs paid for out of beneficiaries' own resources. CINEA has published a guide on this with more detailed information in the Beneficiaries' Info Point.

Action Status Report

An Action Status Report (ASR) is to be prepared at the end of each reporting period (Art. II 23.1 GA). It is to be submitted to CINEA via the TENtec portal by 31 March of the following year. The ASR comprises a technical report on the progress achieved by the action and the future implementation schedule plus a financial report on expenditure to date and a forecast for the years ahead. The language in which the ASR is to be written is stipulated in your GA (Art. 4.3). Before the ASR is sent to CINEA, it must be certified by the Member State (Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport-BMDV/G32). You will receive all information about this certification and the BMDV deadlines from us in good time by e-mail.

Request for interim payment

If your Grant Agreement (Art. II 23.2.1) makes provision for a request for interim payment, you must submit this request to CINEA at least every two reporting periods (within 8 months following the end of the reporting period). If necessary, you must prepare for the request for interim payment a “Certificate on Financial Statement” (CFS) as described in Annex VII to the GA. Normally, however, you do not require validation by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, unless the Federal Republic of Germany itself is the beneficiary.

Amendment to the Agreement

We urge you to contact CINEA as early as possible if changes to the project appear likely. At the same time, you should, if possible, point out any necessary amendments to the Agreement within the scope of the ASR. Any request for amendment shall be submitted to CINEA by email no later than three months before the end of the funding period (Art. II 12 GA).

Publicity

You are obliged to indicate that the action has received EU funding in all publications (site signs, permanent reminder boards, leaflets, websites, invitations, etc.) including social media activities (Art. II 7 GA). Click here for further information by CINEA and appropriate logos.

Final report

The request for payment of the balance must be submitted to CINEA by email within 12 months following the completion date of the action (Art. II 23.2.2). It comprises the following documents (in accordance with the Annex to the GA in each case):

  • the final technical report drawn up in accordance with Annex V
  • the final financial statement drawn up in accordance with Annex VI
  • CFS drawn up in accordance with Annex VII or an alternative review if the requirements for the CFS are not met
  • Verification of the milestones (Art. I 5)

The final report must be validated and certified by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. We would ask you to contact us as early as possible, at any rate no later than three months before the end of the 12-month period, for this. Should your project not achieve its material or financial objectives in the agreed funding period, this may have an impact on the final amount of the CEF grant (Art. II.25.4 GA).

You can find more detailed information on the CINEA website and in our “Guidance on the preparation of requests for payment”.

You can also send any enquiries you may have in writing to the following address:
ref-g32@bmdv.bund.de.
We will then contact you as quickly as possible.

Please note that this information is provided for information purposes only. It does not replace the rules and conditions set out in the relevant legal bases.

„Von der Europäischen Union kofinanziert“